The Outfield

Biography

The Outfield was an English pop rock band formed in London in 1984. The classic lineup consisted of bassist and vocalist Tony Lewis, guitarist, keyboardist, and songwriter John Spinks, and drummer Alan Jackman. Prior to forming The Outfield, the trio played together in the late 1970s in a power pop band called Sirius B. They later performed as the 'Baseball Boys' before signing with Columbia/CBS Records in 1984.

Breakthrough and Success

The band found immense success in the United States, a feat not mirrored in their native UK. Their debut album, Play Deep, released in 1985, was a major commercial success, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard 200 chart and achieving triple-platinum status in the U.S. The album featured their signature song, "Your Love," which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Other hit singles from the album included "All the Love" and "Say It Isn't So". Their follow-up albums, Bangin' (1987) and Voices of Babylon (1989), also achieved chart success.

Lineup Changes and Later Years

After the release of Voices of Babylon in 1989, drummer Alan Jackman departed from the band. Lewis and Spinks continued as a duo, releasing the album Diamond Days in 1991, which included the hit "For You". The 1992 album, Rockeye, saw the band shifting towards a progressive rock sound and featured the song "Winning It All," which gained popularity after being featured in the film The Mighty Ducks. The band took a hiatus in the mid-1990s as the music scene shifted towards grunge. They resumed touring in 1998 and released a new studio album, Any Time Now, in 2004. In 2009, the original lineup reunited with Alan Jackman returning to record what would be their final album, Replay, released in 2011.

The End of an Era

The Outfield officially disbanded after guitarist and main songwriter John Spinks died from liver cancer on July 9, 2014, at the age of 60. Vocalist Tony Lewis passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at his home near London on October 19, 2020, at the age of 62. Following Spinks' death, Lewis had taken a break from music before releasing a solo album, Out of the Darkness, in 2018.